# Presidential Approval Ratings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223 "2005-10-07T17:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/1 "2005-10-07T17:36:34Z")
What are the lowest approval ratings a sitting president (of the USA) has ever had? Note: As this is a GQ thread, discussions of the Current sitting president are verboten, unless they answer the above question. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/2 "2005-10-07T18:08:44Z")
Nixon hit 24 percent. [http://uspolitics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll\_clintonlegacy010117.html](http://uspolitics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/3 "2005-10-07T19:30:31Z")
[Gallup](http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=10534&VERSION=p) had Truman at 23 percent, presumably right after firing MacArthur. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/4 "2005-10-07T20:29:52Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > [http://uspolitics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll\_clintonlegacy010117.html](http://uspolitics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html) I noticed something interesting in those stats. Both Bush Sr. and Ford had end-of-presidency approval ratings higher than 50%, (56% and 53%, respectively) but both failed in their reelection bids. Is the message “You did a good job, but we think someone else could do better”? Or is it “take polls with a big grain of salt”? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/5 "2005-10-07T20:31:06Z")
Buyer’s remorse. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/6 "2005-10-08T05:47:05Z")
For the record, Bush’s approval rating is now at a new low, according to an [AP/Ipsos poll released today](http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com/). Bush’s approval rating is now at 39 percent. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/7 "2005-10-08T06:06:14Z")
This [CBS poll](http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1053085.php/New_CBS_poll_has_Bush_at_new_low) has him at 37%. That’s three points better than what Nixon had when he resigned. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/8 "2005-10-08T06:40:47Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Both Bush Sr. and Ford had end-of-presidency approval ratings higher than 50%, (56% and 53%, respectively) but both failed in their reelection bids. Is the message “You did a good job, but we think someone else could do better”? Or is it “take polls with a big grain of salt”? I’m pretty sure you would find that their approval ratings at the time of the elections they lost (instead of three months after) were lower. Knowing that the term is going to end may also change people’s perceptions, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/9 "2005-10-08T20:47:15Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I noticed something interesting in those stats. > Both Bush Sr. and Ford had end-of-presidency approval ratings higher than 50%, (56% and 53%, respectively) but both failed in their reelection bids. Is the message “You did a good job, but we think someone else could do better”? Or is it “take polls with a big grain of salt”? I think **Marley23** pegged it, but I always take polls with a massive grain of salt. It’s very easy to influence the answers by subtly rephrasing the questions (e.g., “do you approve of Bill Clinton’s actions during his presidency” and “do you approve of the job Bill Clinton did as president” would get you very different answers). Similarly, timing is everything. Were these “end of presidency job approval ratings” done on each president’s last day in office, or did they wait a while? Clinton’s rating would have changed between his last day, the big publicity breaking on pardongate, and the retrospection after it all calmed down. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-approval-ratings/325223/10 "2005-10-09T04:33:57Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Is the message “You did a good job, but we think someone else could do better”? Or is it “take polls with a big grain of salt”? It could be “Now that we’re rid of the bastard, we can stop dwelling on his screwups, and we’re generally feeling good anyway about the new guy who hasn’t screwed up yet”.